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Fact check: What was Donald Trump's academic record at the University of Pennsylvania?
1. Summary of the results
Donald Trump graduated from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1968 with a Bachelor of Science in Economics with a focus on real estate [1] [2]. However, his academic performance was consistently described as unremarkable across multiple sources. Key facts include:
- He did not graduate with honors, suggesting a GPA below 3.40 [3]
- He was not included on the 1968 Dean's List of 56 students [4]
- His former professor William T. Kelley described him as "the dumbest goddamn student I ever had" [1]
- He was largely forgettable to his classmates, with 68 out of 74 respondents saying they never encountered him at Penn [1]
2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints
Several important contextual elements emerge from the analyses:
- Trump's academic record became a matter of controversy because he actively tried to prevent its release, with his lawyer Michael Cohen sending threatening letters to educational institutions [3]
- The Commencement Program showed no academic honors [4]
- Classmates provided mixed accounts of his academic engagement, with some describing him as studious while others noted his lack of investment in studies [4]
3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement
Several instances of potential misinformation have been documented:
- Trump has claimed he graduated "first in his class," which is demonstrably false according to multiple sources [3]
- His obsession with keeping his academic records private appears to stem from personal insecurity and a pattern of exaggerating his achievements [3]
- The sources suggest this behavior is particularly pronounced when comparing himself to Barack Obama [3]
The analyses reveal a pattern where Trump's public statements about his academic achievements conflict with documented evidence and contemporary accounts. His active efforts to prevent the release of his academic records [3] suggest awareness of this discrepancy.